The Rabbis on God’s Living, Speaking Voice

The Talmud contains an interesting story in respect to Exodus 19 and 20 when God descended upon Mount Sinai in order to allow the Israelites to hear his Voice audibly.

According to the rabbis, the Israelites died after hearing the Divine Voice which caused the Voice to complain to God!

Another matter, “his palate is sweet,” Rabbi Azarya and Rav Aḥa in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: When Israel heard: “I am [the Lord your God]” (Exodus 20:2) at Sinai, their souls departed from them. The speech *The metaphor is that God created "speech,” which is what Israel heard. That "speech" spoke to God. returned to the Holy One blessed be He. It said before Him: ‘You are living, Your Torah is living. You sent me to the dead, they are all dead.’ At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He then made the speech more palatable for them. “The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is majestic” (Psalms 29:4). Rabbi Ḥama bar Rabbi Ḥanina said: For the lads, "the voice of the Lord is mighty," for the feeble, “the voice of the Lord is majestic.” Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: The Torah restored their souls to them, as it is stated: “The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul” (Psalms 19:8). (Bamidbar Rabbah 10)

This hypostatization of the Divine Speech, where God’s Voice is depicted as a personally distinct living, conscious Entity, comports with the Christian understanding of Jesus as the uncreated Word of God who is sent to reveal God to mankind:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people... The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him... And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth... No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” John 1:1-4, 9-10, 14, 18 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

“We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—what we have seen and heard we also declare to you so that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:1-3 NRSVUE

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20 NRSVUE

Further Reading

THE VOICE OF YHVH APPEARS